#sliced pickles is implied

[wrensartstash]

II fans how are we

Closeups under the cut

[stressed-cryptid]

Unjust Tears

Sylus x Pregnant Fem!Reader

Nothing rains on your mental parade like a bad day. So bad in fact that it brings you to tears. Good thing husband is there to save the day!

Labels: fluff, cursing, attempt at non-consensual touching, allusion to vomit, vague description of kidnapping, implied torture/murder

Wc: 2.2k

Whoever said pregnancy was a beautiful thing was a dirty liar. At least that's how it seemed after such a long and taxing day. It started in the morning, when you had to ask twin troublemakers, Luke and Kieran, for help with putting on your shoes. At almost eight months pregnant, needing help with getting your shoes on wasn't anything new, but usually Sylus was the one to help you with that. He, however, had to leave for an early meeting with some dealer who thought he was too great to wait for the King of the N109 Zone, so he wasn't there to assist you. You loved the boys, but having them help you with this felt just a tad embarrassing; even if they didn't mind.

The second difficult experience of the day came when you tried to eat breakfast. Your private chef had prepared something that you were normally okay with, but today? It might as well have been prison slop. You turned the plate away before it was even set down in front of you, on smell alone. It was pungent and made your stomach turn. So what did you have instead? A peanut butter and jelly sandwich. With pickle slices and a side of orange juice. You were only able to eat about half of it before you noticed the chef give you a barely-there-but-still-visible side eye, and suddenly the sandwich was very unappealing. You excused yourself, citing that you felt full with only half the sandwich (another recurrent problem you had but that wasn't true at the moment) and went about your day while trying to shake off the shame.

You planned on going shopping for more baby clothes, despite already having plenty. After all, it never hurt to have a few extra clothes for your little one. Actually it was probably a good idea, since there was no telling just how many times you'd end up have to change the baby into some clean clothes. It was here that you met the next inconvenience on the list: the elevators in the base weren't working. They were having regular maintenance done, and it wouldn't be done until a couple hours later. The only one that was still currently running was the elevator that went strictly between the penthouse and the second highest floor of the base.

It was frustrating, but you were undeterred, refusing to back down from this metaphorical beast. So, brilliantly, you decided you'd try going down the stairs. It started well, really. You were taking them slow since you couldn't quite see past your bump, and Luke and Kieran were right on your heels to catch you in case you stumbled. After only a few flights though, you were winded and your feet were starting to hurt. Sylus may have bought you the best maternity shoes money could buy, but they weren't magic. You had to pop in on the closest floor to take a seat and rest. It was meant to only be a short break before you began your descent again, but your body decided it was nap time. So you fell asleep in a chair in the middle of the base, with the twins watching over you. By the time you woke up, the elevators were running again, but you couldn't stop beating yourself up over having fallen asleep like that.

So many inconveniences, and it was just barely about to be midday. What bad luck that the rest of the day followed in a similar pattern...

You were dead set on going to Linkon to look for baby clothes, wanting to see the sun and just generally some daylight instead of the N109 Zone's usual gloom. The ride there wasn't normally too long, but traffic on the freeway into the city was a nightmare. It took so long that you nearly peed yourself in the car. While you were perusing the many outfit options in the baby section, a random old lady came up to you and tried to touch your belly. You naturally smacked her away because, hello? You don't know her? She had the audacity to act shocked, and then everyone around you looked at you like YOU were crazy!? You didn't stick around for much longer after that.

You were hungry so you went to a nearby café for a snack to tide you over while you decided on what to buy for lunch. A stranger, for whatever reason, assumed you must've been there for coffee and got in your face about it. You screamed back at them before the boys - who had accompanied you - could do anything. It left everyone stunned as you stormed out, but the interaction ruined your appetite for the next hour.

Eventually, you managed to choose somewhere to eat, though mostly for the twins' sake. You didn't want them to be hungry just because you weren't. Luckily, your appetite came back just in time, and you were able to enjoy lunch for a while. Sylus also found some time to text you back in the middle of you eating, so that was a plus. This was the only good part of your day so far. And it stayed that way. He told you business was holding him up, so he didn't know when he'd be back home. It felt like a punch to the gut, and instantly brought your mood back down, leaving you unable to finish your meal. After lunch, the three of you decided to get dessert at your favorite ice-cream shop, but unfortunately it was out of your favorite flavor. You settled for your second favorite, but it wasn't nearly as good.

On the walk back to the car, someone bumped into you and nearly knocked you over. Luke caught you, thankfully, as Kieran called to the guy, but all you got back was a "Fuck off, Bitch!" During the drive back, some idiot who must've gotten their license by the blessings of an Etsy witch for ten gold nearly ran you off the road. On top of that, the ride was made almost twenty minutes longer because a gang war started on a main road and you had to take a detour.

By the time you got back to the base, your last nerve was worked about as thin as one ply toilet paper. The straw that broke the camels back however, came at dinner. The chef had prepared something delicious, you were devouring it, and it even seem like you were going to finish your food. That was until your baby - beloved parasite you couldn't wait to meet - decided it was time to practice their kickboxing with your ribs. In an instant, you felt full and couldn't eat anymore. Actually, it felt like what you managed to eat was going to be sent back up. You rushed to the nearest bathroom and knelt by the toilet for the next fifteen minutes until your baby calmed down. Your appetite didn't come back though, so your half-eaten dinner was discarded.

You laid down in bed, trying to relax, but could stop yourself from going over every little thing that happened today. Even now, you couldn't free yourself from whatever curse afflicted you. No matter what way you turned, you were unable to get fully comfortable in bed, your legs were sore from all the walking you did today, and your stomach felt empty and full at the same time. So as you turned the entire day over in your mind, again and again, you couldn't stop the stinging in you eyes.

Any other day, you would've gotten over it. Any other day, you would've stopped thinking about it hours ago. Any other day, the frustration would've fizzled out by now. But today? Today you didn't have Sylus by your side. You didn't have him to defend you from judgmental chefs or touchy old ladies. You didn't have him to carry down the stairs or drive you around. You didn't have him to avenge you against inconsiderate, self-absorbed assholes. You didn't even have him to hold you and tell you it was okay. So today, aided by the shackles of pregnancy hormones, the weight of the day came in the form of tears. Dripping down the side of your face and into your pillow.

You were so consumed by your emotions that you never noticed you husband coming in.

"Well this simply won't do." The words put a sudden halt to your sniffles and quiet sobs. You almost thought you had imagined them until Sylus came around to your side of the bed, kneeling in front of you and taking your hand. "Why are you crying, Sweetie? Who upset my gorgeous wife?"

You starting crying again, quite a bit louder this time. "Sylus, I had the worst day ever today!" You managed to say through sobs.

"Is that so? What happened?" His hand came up to stroke your hair, wiping away what tears he could.

After a few sniffles and gasps, you were able to speak. "First-!" You told him everything. Every little detail, from start to finish. The shoes, the chef, the oldest lady, the rude guy; all of it. And Sylus listened. So carefully, like you were telling him the secrets of the universe. He nodded and hummed along, and he didn't interrupt. He let you go on for as long as you wanted about it all. When you were done, he leaned forward and planted a soft, lingering kiss on your forehead.

"It seems the feisty kitten in front of me truly had the worst of days. Come here." Sylus got up from the floor and sat on the bed, turning to face you then helping you sit up as well. Then he hugged you. One hand on the back of your head, the other on your back rubbing up and down. You stayed like this, in silence, for several minutes before he spoke. "Do you remember what they looked like? The people who bothered you in Linkon?"

You sniffled and answered a simple, "Sylus, no." And that's all it took for him to back down from the idea.

"Alright, I won't go after a bunch of strangers, but I am firing the chef. I don't care how unusual the dish is, their job is to make you whatever you want and that's it. Any judgment is to be kept inside and off of their face. I'll have them replaced soon enough, but in the meantime, I'll stay home and make all of your meals. How's that?"

You nodded, hugging him tighter, or at least as tight as your belly allowed. "Sounds good."

"Luke and Kieran told me you haven't had a full meal all day. Is there anything you're craving right now?"

You think for a moment. After having a good cry, and having your husband by your side again, you think you might be able to stomach something. Like Sylus said, you haven't finished a single meal today, so you are pretty hungry. After some contemplation, you land on, "Strawberry yogurt and fries."

"Does it matter where the fries are from?" Like a good husband, he doesn't question the combo. The only questions he asks are the important ones.

"Do you not know where my favorite fries are from?" Hormones strike as visceral rage fills you at the thought that he doesn't know you inside and out.

"Of course I know, Sweetie. Just wanted to make sure you didn't want fries from somewhere else. I'll be back shortly." Sylus walks with a purpose out of your shared bedroom, making sure to fire the chef on his way out. The moment Luke and Kieran hear that, they pounce. Sylus already knew the gist of how your day went; the boys reported it to him the moment he walked through the door. He instructed them to wait for his say-so to take care of that disrespectful pest. He wanted to hear the true severity of the damage their critique caused from you first. He was never going to just fire the chef, but now he's certain they'll never see the light of day again. How unfortunate. Oh well.

True to his word, he comes back quickly. Your craving hasn't changed and he is safe from your wrath and your tears. As you eat, he massages your legs for you, the both of you relaxing as you watch a movie in your home theater. He's changed into a black sweater and white pants, and barely pays attention to what's on the screen. All his focus goes to you, and it makes you wonder what kind of day he's had. Did he have a bad day, too? Was it just as bad as yours? Maybe it was worse. Yet he doesn't say a word about it...

"Sylus, aren't you tired? You spent all day taking care of business, and now you're spending the rest of the night taking care of me. Don't you want to relax instead?"

His response is quick. Decisive. "I am relaxing. And no, I'm not tired. Even if I was, I'd never be too tired to take care of you."

Warmth blooms in your chest, spreading to the tips of your fingers and toes. It's moments like these that you know you married the right man, and you know he'll be a great father, too. You had a bad day today. Definitely one of the worse ones, for sure. But tonight, you'll sleep feeling lighter, at peace, because you know you have your husband to lift you up. After all, he thought your sadness was the greatest injustice in the universe.

You know you'll always be okay because Sylus has your back, and that's never going to change.

A/n: This is my first time writing in years and my first time writing for Sylus so sorry if he's ooc and seems like it was written by a raccoon with greasy hands and eyebags to mars

Dividers by @/cafekitsune

[wordy-little-witch]

I wanna know about your solarsun ideas

AAAAA ♡♡♡♡

Where do I start-

Okay so canon-compliant stuff-

☀️ they absolutely co-parent Jack and Dazzle

☀️ Solar has NO chill when he has a crush. He's a hot mess simp, eternally screaming internally. He has NO idea how romance works beyond fairy tale stories and romance novels that Earth ((and Eclipse)) lent him. He refuses to make the first move with EXTENSIVE planning and flow charts of responses accounted for

☀️ Sun actually casually asked Solar out, derailing the latter's entire 467(+/- 27.5) step plan. It boiled down to Sun being like, "hey, so I noticed how you kind of stare? At me?? And I can't tell if it's a good stare or bad stare. So can we talk? Thanks!" And by the end of it, Sunny just went, "so then do you want to go on a date? I'm open!"

☀️ their first date was SUPPOSED TO BE at a semi fancy restaurant, but it ended up going to hell in a hand basket. What places allowed animatronics were either fully booked, facing an issue leading to closing, or were unappetizing. They end up making a last ditch late-night trip to Walmart and a random fast food place, head to the Plex, and set up in the theater where they got the projector hooked to a streaming service. An impromptu picnic ensues.

☀️ Sun tugs on his rays when he's anxious, or fiddles with whatever he can get his hands on. Solar slowly collects some of Sun's damaged rays and makes him a reinforced fidget toy with a similar texture to help both break a harmful habit and stimm stim.

☀️ they are the embodiment of "he asked for no pickles" but they take turns depending on social anxiety.

☀️ Sun has a save file on CoTL with a character customized as Solar. He absolutely made them his spouse.

FOR MY OWN PERSONAL STUFF-

🌻Earth was so excited when they announced they were dating officially

🌻 Moon was conflicted, but despite a mild phase of screaming into the void, he's very supportive.

🌻 Lunar is closer to Solar than Sun and accidentally put his foot in his mouth by asking why Solar chose Sun, of all people. He has a mix of self-esteem issues and thinking little of Sun due to their shared perceived "faults" and "flaws". ((This gets immediately addressed and improved on over time))

🌻 Sun got emotional the first time Jack called him mom

🌻 Solar "just got some metal shavings in [his] eye" when Dazzle called him dad

🌻 the kids call Sun 'mom' because Jack decided it would be very confusing for have a papá/father/dad and ANOTHER papá/father/dad. Also, mothers in stories, games and books are nice and pretty - both things that apply to Sun. Especially Latina moms, who are also Spicy, like Sun. Dazzle agreed that this logic was pretty darn good. ((Sun doesn't mind it, really. He's more stuck on the unspoken trust that being given such a title implies, and regardless, his gender is masculine in the way Kraft American Slices are cheese - by technicality and general, tentative decree))

[shoegazingmonad]

Bunch of Mummy and Egypt HS2 talk bundled together:

Reread the Influencer's segments a few weeks ago and now that I'm aware mummy references are something worth looking for I'm noticing a ton of these damn things. The 'recently widowed heir' is the newly emptied tomb (jelly jar) that contained the mummy (company) and #unwokemoms... Hehe

Once again, houses are heads, and it seems like there's a link between wealth and the head being made here? She calls Tavvy 'the sort of fella you hang around when your mom drags you to a fundraiser', and back when Europeans were obsessed with consuming mummies sometimes graverobbers would steal freshly hung bodies, embalm them (shittily) and claim they were actual mummies. So I'm thinking if money = relating to the head then fund = the head and raiser could be act of hanging. It can also be read as lifting the lid off a tomb, which feels a liiiittle more plausible since it seems the fundraiser itself is a meeting of colonisers / graverobbers.

Though they do unlock the tower Dirk hung himself at before this, so hanging is definitely on topic. Avril says they have to get their gossip (private personal information) the old fashioned way, on line (rope) and then questions the others on why they're pretending 'that shit with the witch and the seer didnt go down' so yeah, lots of hanging talk.

Another line that sticks out to me is Silas pointing out that they're the 'only folks of the human persuasion' before telling them to hold their horses, likely referencing Dirk's 'FLORA OF THE SUCCULENT PERSUASION' (plants that hold water due to strong conviction). If Silas is calling humans succulent and therefore something that holds water, then trolls are the opposite, dehydrated and mummified. So Ruthie coming up to them and telling them they should leave if they don't want to die despite not visibly making any effort to leave herself comes across as implying she has no need to run for it because she's a troll (mummy) and therefore already dead.

Mummy stuff explains the food choices too. Avril orders a #normal burger (regular corpse), which comes alongside some fries and a slice of lime(?), which Silas takes when he isn't looking. Silas has a cup of black coffee (mummia is a black resin-like exudate) alongside some cups of creamer (canopic jars), which Imode steals and starts stacking, and Imode themselves has a stack of pancakes with butter and syrup (mummified corpse).

Food tangents aside, the Mothergrub should fit into this somehow. Mummification is thought of as ensuring the soul travels to the afterlife, and that death was a transition stage. The soul would stay alive outside of the body as long as it was kept intact. In Candy 8, during Vrissy's birth, there's a mention of 'birthing jelly' (jelly is consistently used to describe the Mothergrub's fluids in the epilogues) and that the egg's 'mottled and rough, like a rock on the outside, but has a layer beneath like mulched flesh'. Kanaya helps her exit the egg, prying open Vriska's tomb and (presumably) finding her mummified corpse, which is Vrissy.

Vrissy gets a couple of mummy references because of this. She's frustrated that Kanaya won't get off her case! Until now - which might imply that this sequence is Vrissy "leaving the case"? The prison does look a little similar to the Mothergrub. But Shit Becoming Real synonymous with leaving the case (tomb) probably ties in with Vrissy's age-related themes. The adult self is pregnant with the child self / true self, and the tomb is pregnant with the mummy?

This makes more sense when compared to another case of Mummy metaphors. In 194 Harry talking about his dad 'flipping his lid' is interspersed with Tavvy saying they're 'in a bit of a fudging pickle', and pickling is the process of proserving food by containing it within SALT water. Jars and tombs both have lids, so the jar itself the body / case and the pickle (or whatever is being held within the jar) is the child. Like how in Ult Dirk's room he has Dave's brain in a jar (which was made via a fetus in a jar) next to one of Roxy's glass-encased mutant kittens (cats are a symbol of babies).

And speaking of 194, Vrissy also says she gets this 'frustr8ed feeling in my Chest' when she sees Vriska talking to Harry. She isn't bothered by her child / true self's imprisonment in the tomb until she's met with a physical reminder of the limitations placed upon herself, and her inability to escape them leaves her frustrated. This adds to the prison segment and the follow-up. After she realises Vriska wants her to stay as a 'imitation' of her rather than something of her own, she ditches her and leaves the prison (egg / tomb). She then goes on to excitedly tell Harry she's '8roke out of Prison'. And also complains that Vriska was 'grilling' her, lol? Harry even says he hopes 'vriska didn't manage to get you smoked'. tfw when you don't get to eat the mummy...

Returning to the influencers - their quirks are also related to mummification / Egypt. Avril refers to their hashtags as 'ancient archival systems', and Imode uses 'text-based art' to communicate, like heiroglyphs! Avril's ever so helpful #hashtags make me think that #jealous (jelly) and #stuff (something stuffed inside another thing, like a mummy in a coffin) may be used for mummy puns too.

Their hobbies likely fit into this as well. Imode talks about Guys and Trolls, a pun on Guys and Dolls, whilst they're shown in a fully black outfit Harry's making them wear, suggesting they're the Doll / Troll. Avril's knack for photography functions as another form of 'preservation'. And now that I'm thinking about it the entire plot of the bonus stems from that 'preservation', and everything following that is the three trying to get the others 'out of the situation [they] have helped to put them in', which is done by unlocking Dirk's site of death. Wowzers

Besides the fact that every character is technically a mummy due to the adult self / child self comparisons they seem to have assigned roles. For now I'll assume that Ruthie is just a mummy. Avril's a bodysnatcher + "embalmer" since he's the one getting the gossip (personal information) and archiving. Imode says his use of #'s is inauthentic, he doesn't consistently use them the same way, and that he doesn't know it's history. As though he sucks at mummification, don't even know how it's actually done and just want it for the clout (money). He even gets pissed when Imode calls him a snitch (thief).

Imode's probably mummy-kin / identifies with the child self. They're the doll / troll, the only one in their group who isn't at least a little xenophobic, go to the troll diner often, and upon getting a taste of 'honesty' they leave through the window (tomb) first. Roxy talking to them about gender makes me suspect 'coming out' is also about leaving the coffin. Which, I guess is what makes them the '#wokemom' to Jane's '#unwokemom', leaving the coffin / becoming the authentic self means waking up? Cherub stuff going on here. But if they think Imode has 'gendery vibes' then she's assuming they've 'came out', adding onto the idea that they're mummy-kin.

Why the kids are even being so heavily associated with mummies in the first place is likely because they're "reincarnations" of other people. I say this mainly because of Silas' comments; when talking about Tavvy, they say 'Bless his heart', and the only organ left in a mummy's body after the process is complete is the heart, believed to contain the person's identity and character. She then gives respect to Gamzee, and says 'May he rest in the dark bosom of the mirthful messiahs'. It's as though Tavvy has Gamzee's heart / soul, and this is backed up by a few other things.

(Though there's also the funny implication that Silas is calling Tavvy one of the Mirthful Messiahs both here and right after, '[Tavvy] doesn't even GO here' is followed by her internally cursing herself for 'speaking disrespectfully of the messiah she's supposed to care about')

On page 79 Tavvy mistakes a door creaking for 'a honk, or the beating of his own heart', and back in Candy 32 when Vriska is beating up Gamzee she delivers a 'double axe handle right off the hook', causing his nose to break and blood to spill out. A hook was used to pull the brain out but in some cases the embalmer would break the nose to get at it more easily. And whilst I'm on this topic; Redemption is also mummification.

'Redemption' functions as a form of resurrection. And seeing as Gamzee already calls Tavvy his 'redemption arc', a second chance at life for him, then this can be compared to mummification as another a way for the soul to continue on after death. The fridge Gamzee is released is literally referred to as a 'would-be sarcophagus', and upon exiting he starts spouting on about his redemption arc (Tavvy). In Candy 20, when Karkat is being used as a substitute for Tavvy, Gamzee tells him that the rule of redemption means you can't get salty with your homie no more, and he provides an even more straightforward description to Vriska;

Redemption is getting your moral compromisations locked all tight in where your hearts at, inside the mummy. So I think what they're trying to get at here is that a 'redemption arc' is another body functioning as a mummy for someone else. Tavvy is Gamzee's "mummy", storing his heart so that Gamzee's soul can move on - and he's trapped in the tomb so that Gamzee can leave it. (On another small note, Gamzee's followers are called 'brainless clown worshippers', redemptionists are mummies).

That might add another layer to Gamzee's milk addiction though. Gamzee directly compares his breastmilk addiction to his 'struggles with the wicked green substances', which is sopor but as his vague wording here also suggests there's the interpretation of sopor slime as ecto slime at play. Since Tavvy is a mummy and Gamzee is constantly drinking from the bottle of milk that represents him, he's also drinking mummia (which explains Meenah calling him 'jellybulge', he keeps the milk in his codpiece). Wack. But as I said before, mummia is an exudate - and 'exudate' comes from the latin word exudare/exsudare "ooze out like sweat" and Tavvy's sweating Gamzee's blood, which now looks to be mummia / exudate. This might explain why his sweat is 'sticky', exudate also refers to sap, a colourless sugary liquid secreted when a tree is put under stress. This may open up a possibility for tree / mummy comparisons though? Even wackier, but not exactly out of the question. Osiris' coffin ends up inside a tree trunk and later made into a pillar named the Djed (a symbol of stability and his spine), and y'know now that I think about it - I'm pretty sure that's what the belltower is supposed to be?

Ult Dirk's outfit is largely based on Kamina's. But for some odd reason he has additional wrapping around his legs - which Kamina doesn't have - but Osiris does. And Candy Dirk's death involves a noose, which comes across as completely unneccessary when considering he could just cut his own head off like he usually does. However, Dirk isn't tying the loop to guarantee his death, it's to guarantee his resurrection; because what he was really tying was an Ankh - another loop symbol thought to revive souls in the afterlife. It stays attached to his head as his spine splits, and his body pools in a sea of blood, similar to how Osiris' body was tossed into the Nile and eventually ended up in the Ocean. Dirk's coffin is filled with swords (commonly found along other items within tombs thought to be necessary in the afterlife), is made out of the 'finest-quality timber on the planet', the door to the tower is made of oak and the tower itself is also amidst a bunch of trees as if it were one. Osiris' death and renewal was believed to coincide with the flooding of the Nile (and the fertilization of Egypt, the excess water representative of either Isis' tears or Osiris' bodily fluids, the latter the more likely case seeing as Dirk's body sprays blood all over the tower and the funeral's rain is 'like being sprayed with a plant mister' too.

Ankh's are also the 'key of life', and Dirk's tomb being unlocked is followed by Imode shouting '👼💩' like a baby angel has just been shit out, so this suggests some kind of resurrection. But whilst I'm still on the topic of Dirk - Harry says they hang a Dirk effigy from the belltower every year, which kind of feels like a reference to the Ritual of Overthrowing Apophis, another annual effigy destruction. Apothis was thought to contain all the darkness and disorder in Egypt, and was burnt to protect everyone from his evil, but mmm I don't know if that fits all that well.

Upon going through other Egyptian mythology I also found out that Gamzee's milk 'baptisms' might also be an egyptian healing ritual replicating Isis' healing of Horus by pouring water over a cippus (tombstone) and then drinking it. Like him pouring milk over the troll ghosts / redeemed (the dead) gives it the healing properties he claims it to have, which he uses for himself as he takes a swig of it after using it on Eridan and Feferi. Though on the topic of baptisms and mummies, there's a cup of coffee adjacent to two pieces of bread in the cafe. Mummia is the blood of christ and the mummy itself the body (bread, aka 'sacred host'). Jane directly calls the troll blood Gamzee gave her 'the holy sacrament', and that her first memory of him was of his 'robust codpiece' which is a child grafted onto the body, Tavvy, a mummy. One coffee equated to two bodies also makes some sense. The heart is being considered the organ shared amongst Gamzee and Tavvy, and it's the organ pumping the blood (mummia) around the body.

But the redemption / mummification theme applies to the other kids too. Later Silas reuses the previous blessing for Dirk, saying 'Bless his soul', but they only say 'Bless' when it comes to Harry, lacking the heart / soul of the two previous statements. Harry isn't a 'redemption arc' for anyone in the same way Vrissy, Tavvy and Yiffy are since nobody imposes that role upon him - but he seems to view himself as John's, which is affirmed by Gamzee's claims that getting him with Roxy would 'romantically redeem' his sorry ass. Harry calls his car ride with his dad a 'heart to heart', and him being absent from his own room (head) can be read as him being momentarily brainless. He later tells Vrissy he 'put [his] heart and soul' into his costumes, so he might make up for his lack of assigned role by helping people fit into theirs the best they can. Mummy stuff might be where 'Sheriff Dry Hops' gets it's name too. Hops is a fruiting plant body dried to make beer, similar to a mummy being dehydrated to make mummia. (There's also Faygo (another mummia) compared to alcohol via Terezi and Rose's addictions and Kurloz' calling Faygo 'ELIXIR FORTIES' like a 40oz pack of beer). It's let out of the closet by Vriska, who Harry complains 'has no respect for other people's belongings'. He's a mummy sheriff, encouraging and even policing other people into staying as their assigned roles. No wonder he's with Vrissy.

Yiffy is likely a parallel to Ruthie - Ruthie's an authentic mummy, and Yiffy's a (symbolic) child. Silence is perfect yet infantile communication, and Yiffy says nothing. Tavvy says he's busy with an aforementioned pickle, Vrissy's Mother's and Aunt Jade, suggesting Yiffy is the 'pickle', which was established as another symbol of the child trapped in containment. And their most prominent scene as of yet starts with Jade breathing life onto Yiffy (Receive Finishing Blow), and stating that they're her future, establishing them as Jade's 'redemption arc'. Yet unlike Tavvy (child-as-adult, in the tomb) and Gamzee (adult-as-child, out the tomb), it's the opposite; Yiffy is child-as-child and Jade is adult-as-adult, with this panel of Jade within a shadowed room holding Yiffy outside a rectangular window (which I'm now realizing is a parallel to Tavvy now since this comes up after he says had his window removed), affirming her status as the one stuck inside whilst Yiffy is free from containment.

Speaking of Ruthie, her 'eee' translated to heiroglyphs is 3 feathers, which represents three souls, presumably Imode, Silas and Avril. When the deceased had completed their journey through the underworld, they arrived at Maat, which was where it would be decided whether they would move onto the Kingdom of Osiris. The first task given was to address the 42 Assessors of Maat by name (which is why Vrissy says they had to memorize the names of every player at school) and every sin they didn't commit in their lifetime. The deceased would then have their heart weighed against a feather, and would be allowed to move on if the scales balanced. And If the heart was heavier they'd be eaten, and the soul permanently destroyed.

Though the explanation for the source of Imode and Avril's 'souls' are made obvious as they're just their names, Shigetaka Kurita and Avril Lavigne, I don't really know who Silas is supposed to be, or what her role is. Silas says she hangs around Tavvy at fundraisers whilst the panel shows her pulling at the loop around her neck, which is a noose, ankh or alternatively, a tyet? Which was something mummies were buried with under the wrapping for protection. Tavvy has a blood red cup too, which is next to a fountain of chocolate, so like Silas' black coffee he's probably drinking mummia. As per usual. Anyway If I'm to compare her situation to Tavvy's, them being 'the only people our age' signifies them as mummies too. Neither of them are out the tomb though, since they don't talk about gender (no coming out), and Silas' doesn't do any 'introspecting' on the regular.

Though the introspecting she does do gets her a step she can't backtrack as she 'pushes' to 'catch up' with Avril so leaving the tomb seems to be another way of falling. Since Imode shouts 'holy shit' with a baby angel in place of the 'holy' I'm also getting the idea that leaving the tomb is being shit out as well. Both are realness leaving the body... Back to Silas though - the colour she uses is supposed to be lime, as proven by the lime on Avril's plate (which she eats), which is the same colour as her outfit. She's also wary of trolls, and has freckles in a circle on their cheeks. She insists on justice for Gamzee and says 'my stars!' when Avril shows off their skeleton key which is equivalent to 'my kids!' since Avril puts #childstar together later. With all that and the old-american thing they have going on, they kinda remind me of calamity???? I'm still not sure that's right though.

Since I'm getting nowhere with Silas it's back to the Omega kids. Avril has the lime before Silas eats it, which is the same colour as her and therefore makes the act come across as eating herself. The lime juice is left behind on Avril's plate, so she's ate the body, but not the mummia, she has the coffee for that? Tavvy leaves a bag of trail-mix and a letter which tells Harry and Vrissy to eat the raisins (dehydrated corpses, mummies) because they're healthy. Then Vrissy and Harry run out of the ship (which not only resembles the Mothergrub but in this panel looks an awful lot like a pyramid) and Harry is munching, presumably eating the mummy, though the panels shown depict him eating m&m's (or whatever that is) the same colour as him and Vrissy, so we're back to eating the (child) self. Probably worth adding Harry's zebra cakes onto this, more commonly known as icebox cakes, a cake kept in the fridge overnight, another reference to eating child eating.

Harry's reluctance to leave the Mothergrub-Pyramid ship and trying to get Vrissy to go back in with him is related to his desire to be a mummy despite the lack of expectations to be so by Vrissy saying staying back in there would make him like his 'like [his] shitty parents', which he only refutes with a 'they aren't shitty'. Though that's ironically followed up by Rose calling Vrissy 'honey', covering their eyes and keeping them in the dark (in the tomb) before her and Harry get put back in the ship and shut in. Next panel we get of her she's clinging to Kanaya, head buried in her torso like she wants to crawl back in the womb whilst Vriska runs free.

On Harry eating the mummy / child though - back on 172 Vrissy tells Harry they're in the janitor closet near what Harry calls the 'Good Water Fountain', and closets seem to be another tomb substitute. Sheriff Dry Hops is kept in a closet, Jake's sat on the 'sticky floor of a custodial closet' before the camera shifts over to Tavvy 2 pages after, and the previous school closet scene where Tavvy, Gamzee Vrissy and Vriska are stuck in one with their redemption arcs whilst Harry is outside all suggest that, even though it's not as overt as the fridge comparisons. The Good Water Fountain is the fountain of youth, and with it's proximity to the closet the water is presumably sourced from it, making it mummia. Harry eating his child self / wanting to return to his youth fits with his desire to be John's 'redemption arc' / mummy like he was as a kid and is also incredibly in line with Roxy's habit of drinking cats (mummia) that mmmmalo talked about (oh hey no wonder Roxy drinks coffee now).

Though alternatively if the m&m's viewed as Vrissy (since it is both of their colours) their already established age-play dynamic is, on Harry's part, a desire to access the child self via Vrissy? Bluh

On note of Tavvy providing the trail mix and endorsing the mummy-eating, Imode says Silas knows Tavvy, but she says "Know" is pushin' it. Understanding is the child self being birthed and the mummy leaving the tomb. Literally under-standing (falling) comes up when Harry and Vrissy try to leave the ship too. She talks about how he refuses to verbally disclose what he really means or wants (nothing being spoken, no baby being birthed, no mummy leaving the tomb, no falling yadda yadda), specifically that he 'he wouldn't ask for a thing if he wanted it', which leads into a joke about how he expects to be beaten round the head upon asking for salt, and Avril (resident embalmer) adds onto it by saying they'd be scared to ask for the salt if Jane was their #unwokemom.

Tavvy explicitly disagrees with the whole 'redemption arc' stuff Gamzee totes around, so the idea that he wants to be the embalmer (guy putting people in tombs, locking away authenticity) feels a little out of place, since it's not something he ever explicitly expresses, but pretty understandable. Though it's tripping me up a little imagining how locking away someone's 'child self' would even be done on a literal level. Getting to be the embalmer comes with the implication of not being the mummy though, so it's more like he wants a role-reversal; he wants to be the child-like oppressor rather than the adult-like oppressed. Once again expressing a desire to be Gamzee again are we now. Though I still dunno what that makes of the raisins. This coincides with him going to help Yiffy with the rebellion so it should function as another form of 'rebellion', which it kinda is as he's the one providing the mummies, momentarily aligning him with the embalmer I guuuuuuess? I feel like I need a little more to work with here

[karizard-ao3]

Can you make up some shenanigans related to Shinji cooking / baking? Hikari, Asuka's best friend, also loves to cook if it helps

Okay, so I was thinking: what if it's Asuka's birthday? Hikari wants to throw her a party and Shinji does also so they join forces to plan her a German feast. The problem is that Shinji has tried to make her German food in the past but he put a Japanese spin on it because he followed a Japanese recipe and Asuka was kind of a bitch about it. So they are committed to authenticity, which means they have to make sausage and whatnot completely from scratch and a lot of the ingredients are not easy to get in Japan.

Asuka, not knowing why Shinji and Hikari keep traveling all over Japan together, is in an absolute snit. She's been talking about her birthday to everyone but no one seems to care??? Are Shinji and Hikari dating? Oh, she hates him so much!

They have to do the prep work at Hikari's house so she doesn't discover the strings of bratwurst and liverwurst or the jars of sauerkraut pickling.

Misato is charged with keeping her busy on the big day so she takes her shopping and Asuka complains the whole time and Misato keeps trying to gently imply she needs to chill but Asuka is not getting it.

Meanwhile, Toji and Kensuke have been enlisted to help cook and they are absolute disasters. Shinji has to keep dropping what he's doing to stop them from adding the wrong ingredients to the schnitzel or doing a complete hack job when they slice the cucumbers, which means Hikari needs to watch his pans as well as hers. Eventually, they kick Toji and Kensuke out of the kitchen and put them on decorating duty.

At some point Rei shows up with the karaoke machine and party hats and helps set the table. Kaji arrives with the cake right before Misato and Asuka get back. They turn out the lights and wait.

"Shinji is such an idiot!" Asuka is in the middle of shouting when Misato pushes open the door and Kaji flips on the lights.

"Surprise!" everyone shouts.

Asuka snaps her mouth shut, overwhelmed for a moment, then immediately starts chortling like, "I knew you were planning something for me all along! Of course you were! How could anyone forget my birthday?"

While they eat, Hikari tells Asuka how hard they worked to find everything for the meal, and that Shinji especially wouldn't give up, calling all these shops to see if they had what they needed to make Asuka's favorite foods from home. Asuka blows it off at the time, but after everyone goes home and everything is cleaned up (Kensuke and Toji are a lot better at washing dishes than cooking them), they turn on the TV. Asuka sits down next to Shinji and puts her head on his shoulder and mumbles, "thanks"

[chaintimeless]

short-ish drabble for @intoendlessdreams's asta & sanson. tw for poor worded smut. phone sex implied? sanson buys a dildo I don't know what you want me to blacklist this AS. son-ha's big boy drabble.

Ever since their short-lived talk about deepthroating a pickle may or may not result in being choked, Sanson bought it upon himself to use Amazone, & order a special package. ; just a normal size, some grit-covered dildo, base can mount against a wall & glass. Once the order was delivered, nurse's assistant opens the door a little, making sure nobody was around, unless seed of rumors start being planted, as it creaks a little open, & grabbing package.

Using a box-cutter, & slicing though tape, pulling out said product, followed by grabbing smartphone. tiny device in hand is practically brand new, he was never into really using technology, given that many lean onto it for nearly everything.

Regardless, there is a few contacts, silver orbs scanning words presented, until 'Master Asta' appears, & index finger tapping on it.

[TEXT] Good afternoon, Master Asta. [TEXT] My apologizes for bothering you. Are you alone? [TEXT] Don't open this around others. ; It's for your eyes & ears only. [TEXT] I'll know if you do. ; You don't want me to find out, do you not?

Soon, a picture is sent, Sanson with his hair down, oversized coat laying onto bed, shirt is unbuttoned, revealing untouched skin, & muscles are slightly toned, but not enough to describe him as 'work-out' worthy.

A second image is sent. ; Black sleek pants are slid down, revealing gray boxers. slight boner is popping out from fabric, is that him mounting the silicone toy against metal enforced wall? Shifting knees, & opening mouth. Lips painted red, tongue sticking out to lick it.

Here comes the big surprise, a 10minute video, recording from the front. Eyes don't focus on the phone recording, instead organs of sight focus on presented cock, pretending it's Asta's strap on. "H-Hrk~!!" Drool drips down, pooling onto bedsheets. Stain on those boxers growing bigger, pre-cum ruining cloth, with soft hands pressed against metal, & fingers digging into paint.

Blush colors his whole face, head bobbling up & down. Being a pervert, thinking what she would say, insults? Praises? It's fine, this poor so-called noble & executor will accept anything. Proving to mistess? Little? Girlfriend? That sucking & deepthroating isn't so bad, once you get the hang of it.

"M-Mnghhh~!!! <3!" Heart irises forme, length resting so comfortably, tongue swirling, & revealing this is just a easy feat.

By the time the video ends, a trail connects to the toy, & stained lips. Toy is covered in rings of crimson, & marks all over.

"D-Does this please you, M-Mistess?" Ass landing on bed, shameless, but his mind doesn't care. This is a mere moment between them.

It's not long before fingers toy with hem of his boxers.

"Shall I present you another gift?"

[purplesurveys]

1945

When did you last see someone you know in public? As in, seeing them unplanned? Less than a month ago I bumped into Alena and her boyfriend at the UP-Ateneo basketball game.

Do you enjoy going to the dentist? I mean not actively, but I've always had positive experiences at the dentist. Nobody's ever traumatized me yet, at least. Going to the dentist also implies I'm coming in for an issue I need fixed, so all things loosely considered I like going to the dentist because it means they're bound to help with whatever pain I'm feeling.

When did you last eat something you didn’t like? Earlier this week I bit into a pickle slice in my burger so I took the rest of it out.

Do you think you’d survive if zombies took over the world? No. I'm not street smart at all so I'd probably end up doing something that would fuck myself over, hahaha.

When did you last hang out with a bunch of friends at one time? I think it was in September? or sometime in October when I watched SVT in the cinema with Angela, Hans, and their church friends.

What kind of music is your least favorite? Country.

Are you and your best friend complete opposites? I wouldn't say 'complete,' but we are opposites in many ways.

Would people around you say you’re regularly a mean person? I'm not sure about mean but what I'm almost certain about is that they'd probably note the resting bitchface.

Do you like the color yellow at all? No, it's one of my least favorites.

If you were to write a novel, what would it be about? I'm completely incapable of doing creative writing. If I had to write a book, I'd love for it to be a memoir of someone else or maybe a collection of essays of stuff I'm into, like history or pro wrestling.

How many times have you logged in to Bzoink? I never had a Bzoink account when it was still around (RIP).

Are you currently pretending to be someone’s friend? No, that sounds terrible.

Are you an impatient person? I can be.

Are you afraid to watch movies that have sex scenes with your friends? No.

Who sings the last song you listened to? DPR IAN.

Why do you think some actors don’t want to see their movies/shows? Idk there could be many reasons. They might be self-conscious; others might also have the tendency to obsessively review their performance and analyze the many ways they could have done better. Others might hate their voice. Those are the top things I could think of.

Do you think fortune tellers are the devil’s messengers (haha)? Not necessarily devil's messengers, but I would classify them as scammers, lol.

Would you rather use napkins or paper towels? Paper towels.

Do you go to the pool in the summer time very often? No, I don't like the feeling of getting wet very much. During the hotter months I'd usually just have the aircon on all day.

Have you ever had a serious issue involving your eyes? My trichotillomania was pretty bad in my early teens. The skin on my eyelashes got scarred from my constant pulling and scratching, and my left eyebrow has never fully recovered as there's a patch that never quite grew back.

Have you ever watched South Park? Who’s your favorite character? I've given some scenes a watch but it's just not my cup of tea.

Do you have sensitive teeth? I have one bottom tooth that's a bit sensitive.

Do you enjoy or hate snow days? Why is this your choice? I can't relate to this.

Do you turn pale when you get sick? I rarely get sick so it's hard to gauge. I get pale when I skip meals, though.

Does it bother you to get shots in the mouth? Does it hurt? The few times I've had it done to me, I didn't feel a thing.

When did you last talk seriously with one of your parents? Around a month ago when I was confiding in my mom about wanting to quit my job. I thought I could finally open up to her, then she hit me with the "Just pray" so I didn't really continue it after that ahaha

What is the day of the week currently? Sunday.

Is anything exciting coming up in the next three months? My dad is coming home by the end of the month + I'm seeing Seventeen in January.

Do you ever borrow money from someone? I'll borrow a P100 bill from my sister every now and then but I always instantly give it back through e-wallet. I just ask because I never have cash on me anymore, but there are a few places that are still cash-only.

Do you know anyone who tells every single thing you say? You mean spills my secrets and such? Yes. I haven't talked to her in 15 years.

When did you last kiss someone on the cheek? Who was it? I only ever do that to my pets anymore, haha.

Why do you think people like Lady Gaga so much? She was never afraid to do two things - to be different (especially in her earlier years), and to be versatile with her music (which she moreso does so now as she increasingly veered away from the sound she grew popular for).

Do you have a lot of enemies, or not so much? I don't have any.

Can you count backwards from 100 without a mistake? I'm sure I could.

Do you have any friends you’ve had since birth? Maybe not from birth. My best running streak would be 19 years, with Angela.

Do you care if your friends talk badly about you? It'd be hard to consider them friends if they did this.

Would you rather drink out of a straw or just the cup alone? Straw.

Does anyone ever say they miss you often? No.

Is there anyone out there who has made you feel miserable? Loads of people.

Do you have a problem answering personal questions? Not at all. That's why I've had this survey habit for over a decade now, lol. I don't often get to get personal with the people around me, so being able to have this outlet is something I find healthy.

What color is the vacuum-cleaner in your house? Gray and purple.

Have you already moved out of your parents’ house? Nope.

Are your parents divorced, married or separated? They've been married for 27 years.

Do you think it’s rude to text someone else while on a date? Of course. I'm surprised this is even a question.

What is the funniest movie you’ve ever seen? White Chicks. The Menu is also hilarious. Tortillas deliciosas!

What are your views on our current president? I'm assuming this is referring to America's president – I'm pretty indifferent toward the incumbent, but the next one in line is just hilariously sad to think about.

Is it awkward to see your best friend’s parents out in public? Not at all. They're my second parents - if I saw them in public I'd rush to hug and greet them.

Who is the person you talk to the most in your house? My sister.

Is there a television show out there that you never miss? No.

What movie have you seen too many times to be healthy? Two for the Road; and most recently, The Menu.

What are the last two digits of your phone number? No thanks.

Does it creep you out to see people with mullets? No?

What is your biggest responsibility in your household? I'm in charge of all the pet-related responsibilities and finances.

How cold did it get where you live, last winter? We don't have winter but we are in the Christmas weather now - pretty early this year so I feel nice about that. We're hitting 24Cs in November and I'm SO thankful for that.

Do you ever wish you could go back in time to redo something? No. What's done is done. We just move forward.

Ever accidentally pull out a filling from your tooth? Nope.

Do you ever wonder what your exes are doing? No.

Have you ever been caught in a huge lie with your parents? Nope.

Do you ever listen to the radio anymore? I usually still encounter hear the radio during Grab rides, yeah.

Does it bother you to have personal conversations with people? Depends on the person or what the conversation is.

Ever ride in a limo? When did you last do so? Nope.

Do any of your body parts hurt at this moment in time? My shoulders and lower back.

Are you sober at the time being? Yup.

Do any of your friends constantly do things to annoy you? Not at all, no.

Have you ever lied to someone & said they could sing when they couldn’t? Not to this direct extent...but I've clapped for song numbers I wasn't exactly too impressed by to be polite and appreciative, if that counts.

Do you ever call backstabbers out on what they do? I haven't encountered anything like this yet, so no.

How many people in the world do you trust? Less than 10.

[smooth-goat]

aheemehmeheem, for the fic director's commentary ask meme:

The doctor looks up from his notes to look over Snufkin, and his eyes snag on the cane that balances between the mumrik’s knees.  “If you want to screen for any genetic disorders,” he says, “we can do that starting next week. You can make an appointment at the front desk.”  Snufkin’s jaw clenches. He takes a deep breath in. “No, thank you.”  The doctor continues, adjusting a little in the wheeled stool he’s sitting on. “A lot of expecting parents find it best to be prepared, or to reconsider their options with a full arsenal of knowledge.”  “No, thank you,” Snufkin repeats. “I’m not interested.”  The doctor makes a little note in his chart. “Okay.” He looks back up to Snufkin. Adjusts his glasses. “Well, everything looks good, so far. The fetus is about 2.5 cm long now, which puts your due-date at April 18th, I’d say.”  April 18th;. The words rings in Snufkin’s head. That’s… not far away.  That’s not far away at all.  Even if the doctor is way off, it’s still not far away.  --- He decides to get some grocery shopping done at the Dollar General, while he’s there. It’s right next door. He grabs a few of his staples: canned beans, dry rice. There’s a sale on pickled beets, the kind with the crinkle cut slices.  He wanders a bit through the aisles. It’s not like he has anywhere else to be.  A can of baby formula is $43.99.

(Because oof ouch oof I have bought formula for my niece and that final line hits VERY differently now having done that.)

Yeah !! So this scene began, like many of my scenes, on Google Maps. Knowing where Snufkin and Aliisa lived, I could find the nearest Planned Parenthood. And I checked it out on street view and I saw that next door there was a Dollar General. So of Course I had to do something with that. Show some of the reality of Snufkin’s poverty in a very tangible way, the way having a baby would be an immense financial burden. The pricing I didn’t have to look up, though. I noticed it when I was doing my Own grocery shopping at the kosher market, I caught the price and was just staggered by how much it was. It really stuck in my brain. And that high price, contrasted by Snufkin’s very clearly bare-bones cheap-as-possible groceries, shows so much upcoming change in his life, shows this extremely daunting future he’s now become locked into.

The scene with the doctor is, in short, a display of modern eugenics, and the way it’s intertwined with the modern medical establishment and opinion. The doctor, not having Snufkin’s medical history beyond an estimated date of conception and the ultrasound images, sees his cane, assumes that it’s from a genetic condition, and offers genetic counsel for the fetus—though not for Snufkin himself. And implies that a positive result of some condition would allow Snufkin to get an abortion, despite being past the legal deadline of six weeks—developmentally 12 weeks, the real legal deadline for abortion in Illinois at the time. “Reconsider [his] options.” The only way he can get an abortion, the help he’s wanted for weeks now, is through tacit agreement of eugenics—that the fetus is only worth aborting if it would become a disabled baby. A baby like him. It’s the same thinking as the sterilization requirement for a gender marker change in countries like Finland: you are only worthy of help if we can ensure you do not create more people like you.

[digitaltariq]

Spanish-Model Restaurant Overlooks Auckland Harbor

Columbia Hillen Ever had a magician for dinner? I don’t imply grilled and sprinkled with spices. I imply as a visitor. Let me inform you, it’s an otherworldly expertise. My pleasure was having Tara Okan, illusionist extraordinaire, carry out table-side at MoVida restaurant in Auckland and never solely mesmerise me together with his excellent abilities but additionally numerous members of workers who gathered round our desk.

Tara the Magician (l) and Sean Hillen (r). Photograph by Columbia Hillen I’d met Tara just a few weeks earlier via David Rees who kindly launched himself on the road as I explored the North Island metropolis. Such was the quick bond, we ended up on a sundown picnic journey collectively to a secluded seashore. Tara’s modern ‘results’ as they’re known as in magic literature offered the cream on the cake to an satisfying night at this fine-dining restaurant providing what it describes as ‘Spanish delicacies via a New Zealand lens.’

Columbia Hillen Opened in August 2022 and with a 150-person capability, MoVida is situated two flooring up within the modernist Seafarers Constructing on Tyler Road within the coronary heart of the elegant, heritage Britomart district. The constructing’s entrance door stands reverse a spacious open sq. the place a well-liked Saturday market takes place whereas its eating room overlooks Waitemata Harbour. Previously occupied by one other restaurant known as Ostro, its unique house owners, the Savor Group partnered with Movida’s house owners, together with head chef and founder, Frank Camorra for the opening.

Michael Nesti, Restaurant Supervisor. Photograph by Columbia Hillen Designed by Paul Izzard of Auckland-based agency Izzard Design, it’s finest described as ‘tapas bar meets eating room,’ snug with out being overly fussy. A lot of the seating is rounded booth-style however my companion and I have been lucky to be allotted one of many stand-alone tables beside floor-to-ceiling folding glass doorways which stretch the size of the restaurant and past which is a slender balcony after which a transparent view of sailboats gliding gracefully alongside the Pacific Ocean. First, the workers, younger, pleasant, environment friendly and multi-national, from international locations akin to Colombia, Argentina, Spain, New Zealand and the US, all led by dynamic common supervisor, Michael Nesti, a local of Tuscany.

Columbia Hillen Kicking off with cocktails, we selected vermouth and we have been delighted with the varied supply, a collection of six together with a darkish, tangy model from Tarragona. MoVida’s menu, divided into 4 classes, aperitivos, tapas, raciones - barely bigger sharing plates - and parillas - grilled dishes - matches menus at its profitable father or mother operation in Melbourne. We opened with a well-liked Kiwi seafood delicacy, green-lipped mussels, famend for his or her anti-inflammatory properties thus extraordinarily helpful for arthritis victims. These little dainties, recent as if simply plucked from the ocean, have been served chilly with a inexperienced gazpacho-like sauce comprising cilantro, garlic, chili, lemon and olive brine. Subsequent up was burrata, plump in the midst of a colourful ratatouille-like bowl of roasted onion, peppers, tomatoes and recent basil.

Columbia Hillen Preferring seafood, I opted for marinated octopus as my subsequent course, caught close to Kaikoura, a coastal city in South Island. To my thoughts, this denizen of the deep is scrumptious bare, nevertheless it was even tastier cooked because it was on a skewer over coals with fino, dry white sherry and paprika, accompanied by potatoes and aioli. My companion went with a beef dish, razor-thin slices of air-dried wagyu with truffled potato foam, pickled kohlrabi and horseradish cream, with flakes of poached egg on high and a platter of almond and horseradish crackers on the facet.

Columbia Hillen Delighted with the standard of the seafood, my finale was gambas ahumadas, house-smoked prawns, Otago clams with butter beans whereas my companion opted for the carrilera de buey, gentle beef cheek braised in spiced crimson wine and candy Pedro Ximenez sherry, served with cauliflower puree. I’m unsure which one among us was happier. An enormous thanks to our waitresses, Medelin Watape and Erika Martinez, who served us all through the night with honest zest and, in fact, to Tara, New Zealand’s reply to David Copperfield. Read the full article

[thicc-astronaut-art]

Character design explanations under the cut:

Ranger Gorp is a forest ranger, obviously. His name is based on Ranger Gord from The Red Green Show and the word "Gorp", which is a kind of trail mix (stands for "good old' raisins and peanuts"). The company he serves as an advertisement for sells trail mixes, roasted nuts, dried fruits, granola, things like that. The "Forest Ranger" mascot is meant to portray their food as natural and healthy, an outdoorsman's snack food. His commercials usually feature him doing some outdoorsy activity and bringing along some snacks to give him the energy to keep going.

Within the story I was planning, Ranger Gorp was going to host an Alcoholics Anonymous-esque support group for cartoon forest animal who were addicted to their own sugary breakfast cereals. (Ranger Gorp and all the animals, as well as all their respective products, are owned by the same parent company, so they all live in the same forest). He would eventually have to leave his forest for... something. Like I said, I didn't actually get much story written.

The Saguaro Brothers are a pair of cactus banditos who are brothers. Miguel Saguaro's outfit is based on the clothing of the Three Amigos from Three Amigos! (1986). His boot spurs are tiny pizza cutters, and his hat brim is decorated with silver embroideries of pepperoni pizza slices. Pascal Saguaro's outfit is inspired more by the traditional Mexican sombrero and poncho, although both of them feature a pattern similar to a bunch of slices of pizza lined up next to each other. They advertise for the "Ay Ay Ay!" brand of "Mexican-style" frozen pizzas. Their commercials feature Wild-West antics as they try to steal the titular Ay Ay Ay! Mexican-Style pizzas from banks, trains, or gold mines.

Miguel and Pascal would have a falling out. Miguel would end up teaming up with Ranger Gorp and follow him on his adventure. Miguel would serve as a sharp-shooter in battle, while Gorp was more of a hands-on brawler.

Mr. Tofu is a living block of tofu who advertises for a company that sells tofu and other soy-based products. He is visually based on the secret character "Tofu" from Resident Evil 2 with as well as being a jab at PETA's blood-soaked parodies of other characters. His butcher's knife and apron are covered in splatters of soy sauce. My idea for him is based on the Pilsbury Doughboy and Mr. Peanut and other similar mascots, who quite disturbingly are living breathing versions of the food they sell, implying that they might be killing their own brethren.

Gorp and Miguel would have to break into Mr. Tofu's soy processing plant, which would be portrayed as a creepy factory farm / meat processing plant, with giant dimly-lit warehouses filled wall-to-wall with soy plants. It would be inhumane if they weren't just ordinary soy plants growing in the dirt. Mr. Tofu would of course not be kind to trespassers and attempt to kill them.

Don Zygote is a Humpty-Dumpty-esque egg with a creepy human face and little arms and legs. He is also a parody of Don Quixote (his name should be pronounced so that it rhymes). He features on the labels of jars of "old-world style" pickled eggs. The pictures on the labels often feature him doing some kind of chivalric knightly deed, such as fighting a dragon or riding a horse across the plains.

Don Zygote would occasionally cross paths with Gorp and Co., evidently on an adventure of his own. They would find him attacking random people or objects, or trying to break into a building, under the delusion that he was fighting his imagined nemesis, the Iron Egg. Gorp and Co would usually have to find a way to redirect him towards something else, or on rare occasions fight him.

Tip O'Rrery is a direct parody of McDonald's's Mac Tonight, he's a lounge singer with an orrery (mechanical model of the solar system used for predicting the movement of planets) for a head. He similarly featured in commercials where he would sing the virtues of the unhealthy grease-filled sandwiches that he advertised.

Tip O'Rrery would be a "retired" food mascot, one that is no longer used in advertisements. Without the income from starring in commercials, he turned to singing in a seedy bar on the bad side of town. He would join Gorp and Miguel on their adventure, and would serve as a support to the other two during battle.

Chef Snakatak, honestly, is not based on anything in particular, besides the tendency for cartoon animals to feature as food mascots. I thought the name "Snack Attack" being applied to a shark was kind of clever, but just a cartoon shark seemed awfully boring, so I put a funny hat on him. Whatever he advertised for was almost definitely targeted towards kids.

He does not feature in the story at all.

A long time ago I had an idea for a story about a bunch of food mascots coming together outside of their commercials, but never really got any story planning done because it was way more fun to think of wacky food mascot characters. I figured I redraw a few of them for the sake of memories or something

[cubicle-eyes]

Pants

Max , m!reader

PLATONIC

Reader is implied to be Robin's brother, but might as well be Max's in this fic lol

Y/N is graduated.

Max probably knows him through Steve and/or Billy.

Y/N's house = second home

Platonic cuddling and Y/N just pets her hair 🥺

A/N: spelling errors because I'm DYING.

TW: Literally About Periods, so be a man and deal with it.

Summary: Max had an inncident and shows up at your house for a solution, and your happy to help.

"SHIT, Y/N!"

"WHAT? WHAT HAPPENED?!"

Y/N cried. He flung open the door. Max was standing on the front porch, and she despretly shoved her way inside. It wasn't uncommon, since Y/N lived very close to the highschool, but Max never dropped by so.. violently.

"Do you have an extra pair of pants?" She pleaded. Y/N, suddenly understanding, relaxed.

"Damnit, Max! I thought you were injured or someone was dying! Shit! Had me all worried over some pants."

"Well it's not my fault I bled through them!"

"Yeah, yeah. Do you use tampons? I only have pads but I can go grab some if you want."

"Why do you even have-"

"Robin."

"Oh. I can use a pad until I get home."

"Good. How bad was it?"

"Not that bad."

Max followed Y/N like a lost puppy as Y/N glanced at her pants and back to his dresser.

"I have a pair VERY similar to those that Robin left here, so change into these. Want a pair of underwear too? It'll be boxers but I have an unopened pack."

"That would be great."

Her voice was suddenly small as Y/N handed her the pants. He grabbed the bag of boxers, opening it. He shrugged, handing them to her.

"They might be a little big and if they are you can wear my belt and look like a pimp with your undies hanging out your pants."

"Y/N!"

She laughed, starting for his bathroom. Y/N waited for her, to make sure she didn't have any trouble. She cracked the door after awhile.

"Belt."

"Yep."

Y/N turned, grabbing the belt he had hanging in his room and jogging back to the bathroom door, handing it to her. She thanked him, shutting the door again. She came back out after awhile, awkwardly holding her pants in a bundle, and Y/N assumed her underwear was in there.

"You want to stay awhile, Maxine? I'll make you a snack, wash your pants."

"Sure. Thank you."

"No problem. Steve may be the babysitter, but only because I'm the brother."

Y/N chuckled to himself, taking her clothes. He could tell Max thought it was odd he was so.. okay with the mention of her monthly. To Y/N, a man didn't care, and a boy would squirm and complain. He threw the clothes in the washer, and head back to the living room. Max had made herself comfortable, spread out on Y/N's couch as she flicked through the channels.

"Earth to Max, what do you want to eat?"

"You got crackers?"

"Yep. Want anything with them or are you a basic bitch?"

"I will smack you with the power of God if you call me 'basic' or 'bitch' ever again."

"Still."

"You got pickles?"

".. No, no cheese, no meat nothing? Pickles and crackers?"

"Yep."

"..Do you want me to cut one into slices for you?"

"Yes please."

She grinned dramatically, blinking her eyes and trying to sway Y/N with her innocence. Y/N turned, flipping her off as he grabbed a pack of crackers and the pickle jar. She scoffed.

"If you were looking I'd flip you off so hard."

"Well I'm not. Resort to your worst, Maxi-pad."

"You. Did. Not."

She bust into laughter, and soon Y/N was bringing the wheezing girl her snack. She sat up, and Y/N sat next to her. Max dug into the snack, subconciously leaning her body against the older boy. Y/N grinned to himself.

"Hey Max, whenever you're done with your snack you should head home. Just swing by tomorrow for your clothes."

"M'kay. Thanks again."

"For such a little shit," Y/N muttered, playing with Max's ponytail, "You are really nice."

"I'm not."

"Are too."

"'m not!"

"Are too!"

Max laughed, wiggling around to get more comfy againt Y/N. He rolled his eyes, taking the remote and flicking through the channels. Max would head home soon, but for now, they were content existing with each other.

[mangodestroyer]

No, actually, I agree. Whatever they need to solve will likely be an even bigger conflict than season one. Armageddon 2.0. And now they're separated and in a bit of a pickle.

Their personal relationship is not what needs to be solved first. The outside problems getting in the way of them and humanity is what needs to be dealt with once and for all. The last episode can just be about them starting to work out their "new life" together towards the end of it. Or whatever. It doesn't need to be fleshed out much. That part can be easily implied with a little bit of screen time if the scene is convincing enough (a very good apology and them working past that whole thing and working together at some point, and then later talking about what to do in the future once it's all said and done).

As much as we may enjoy slice of life and whatnot, it's not necessarily appropriate to dwell on that with most narratives. Imo, that's what one-shots (short stories) and short multi-chapter fics are good for. Otherwise, the goal is to write a compelling story. A good writer can do that while writing fleshed out characters. They can fit in moments of character growth, fulfilling character interactions, and character depth despite all the action (sometimes, this is good for letting the plot breathe, as you can also have a plot that's too action packed and fast and that desperately needs to be expanded upon).

It's always important to remember the three arc story telling method. And how convenient, GO has three seasons for each arc. But they can also each feel like their own little stories, which is pretty nice. And it's okay if season two is more slice of life. The second arc tends to just be more like that.

It might be an unpopular opinion...

...But I think we might not see Aziraphale and Crowley actively interacting in present in the first few episodes of S3 (i.e first two or even three episodes). There might be some flashbacks, some ways for them to check on each other (probably without the other knowing), and them both visibly reflecting on what was done and said in the Final Fifteen, so it won't be a complete absence of aziracrow content - but there won't be an actual interaction.

Iirc, Neil Gaiman said that the third season wouldn't be that aziracrow-focused as the second season was. So it wouldn't be just a story about their little divorce.

And I don't think they were separated just for the sake of the drama of the Final Fifteen. They both have plot-related things to do on their own - Aziraphale in Heaven and probably in America (as we know from a little information we have about the sequel), and Crowley...probably in London (because the bookshop is still there and we still have Whickber Street decorations intact) and in Devil's Dyke (I just have a feeling that South Downs thing won't be just a last-episode "oh, let's move in a cottage" and will actually have some plot significance)?

It was like that in the original book too - we had them mostly separated and acting on their own from the moment of Aziraphale finding Agnes' book and until the airbase reunion. TV show changed it, including a 30-minute flashback, all the bandstand/"I forgive you-1" drama, and the pub talk - this was necessary to flesh out TV versions of the characters and their conflict. But would it be necessary in S3, with us knowing these characters and what their problem is? Especially if aziracrow would be in a very different places due to the plot (unlike book/S1, where, prior to Aziraphale's discorporation, they both still were in London)? I'm not sure.

[storiesfromthefarm]

STORIES FROM THE FARM ✿ chapter 5

╰a Poly!SVT kpop au

╰ feat. SVT, original female character

╰ mentions of zombie apocalypse, implied character death, slice of life

╰ index:           - Haraboji: 할아버지, trans. grandfather           - Halbi: 할비, trans. nickname, short for 할아버지           - Gongjunim: 공주님, trans. princess      - Ahjussi: 아저씨, trans. used to address a middle-aged or married man

Ari awoke the next morning to the smell of warm food.

She gasped, shooting up in bed. What time is it? Why didn’t Halbi wake me? Blearily, she stumbled out of bed, moving into the bathroom to wash up. By the time she finished and made her way downstairs, several members were filling the table full of hearty dishes.

“You let them use my kitchen?” she demanded toward Halbi, who was slapping several pancakes onto a platter.

“I used your kitchen, ya’ brat,” he returned. “Go sit; I made ya’ some onion soup to go with your pancake.”

“Why didn’t you wake me? I always cook you breakfast.”

“We got guests here who cook, too, and they get up lot earlier’n you do. You need your rest, so I let ya’ get on with it. You gonna get onto this old man for takin’ care of ya’?”

Ari blinked, immediately backed into a corner. She kept quiet, slowly sliding into a seat at the table.

“Arguin’ all the time,” Halbi muttered.

“Yah-” Halbi cut off her response by pointing the spatula at her threateningly, and she snapped her mouth shut again, scrunching her nose in irritation.

She heard several snickers around the table. “Haraboji, you and Ari-ssi seem close. How long have you known each other now?” Mingyu asked.

“Oh, now,” Halbi started, “what’s it been? Must be nearly five years, I guess.”

Seokmin, who was sitting beside Ari, happened to glance in her direction, and saw her hand underneath the table, silently counting on fingers. He smiled a bit. Cute.

“Something like that, I think,” Ari offered. “Two years of zombies, two - maybe two and half now before that - since I lived here.”

“Well, long enough. That there’s my granddaughter anyhow.” He placed the plate of pancakes on the table and settled into a seat himself. “Attitude and all.” Ari rolled her eyes. “Now, let’s eat! Get your fill, boys. If ya’ve never worked on a farm before, you’ve got your work cut out for ya’.”

As they all dug into their meals, Seokmin couldn’t help but feel distracted. He watched from the corner of his eyes as Ari spooned herself a bowl of soup, and took a portion of pancake. She hadn’t eaten much more at yesterday’s meals either. No wonder she’s so…small. He thought she’d look healthier, with the abundance of food they had on the farm. As they ate, she had another bowl of soup, and another, smaller piece of pancake, before she seemed to settle, not reaching for more.

“Ari-ssi,” he posed quietly. “You don’t seem to eat much?”

Surprised, she glanced toward him. “I…” she glanced down at her dishes, her brow furrowed. “I ate a lot, though? I’m full.”

“I told ‘ya before, didn’t I?” Halbi said. “Eats like a bird. What’s that you got called again, Gongjunim?”

As their attention turned toward her, Ari seemed to shrink. Physically, Seokmin watched her push herself back up against her chair. “I don’t know the name in Korean. I have issues with my stomach lining, and a condition that makes me feel full quickly. I can’t eat a lot at once,” she muttered. “It’s not a big deal.”  

“She’s got a baby’s palate. Can’t eat anything too spicy or salty, or too,” Halbi seemed to stall. “What all is it again? Aigoo, you can’t hardly eat anything.”

Ari huffed. “Nothing spicy, salty, acidic, pickled, or too fatty.”

The boys stared in awe before Soonyoung spoke up. “That is so sad.”

She glowered at him. “I didn’t like most of those foods, anyway. I told you, it’s not a big deal.”

“That’s why you eat so simply,” Mingyu motioned toward the clear soup and plain pancake.

Ari nodded. “I get really sick if I have something that could irritate my stomach.”

“Have you had it since birth?” Joshua asked. “That must be so uncomfortable.”

Ari cleared her throat. “No, it uh, developed.” She began stacking her dishes. “Can we stop talking about it? I’m fine. I’ve been like this for years; it’s not as bad as you seem to think.” She carried her dishes over to the sink and began unloading the dishwasher.

“Well, if we’re all done, why don’t we get ready to go out?” Halbi asked, clapping his hands together.

“Leave the dishes there,” Ari called out. “I’ll get them in a bit.”

Halbi eyed her as she stood with her back facing them. He raised his brows at the boys, gesturing to the dishes. Seungcheol nudged Mingyu and they all nodded quietly, gathering the dishes in stacks quickly. Halbi nodded with a grin. “I’ll be on the porch.”

Seungcheol, Mingyu, and Joshua carefully delivered the stacks of bowls, plates and cutlery into the kitchen, setting them on the counter beside the sink where Ari stood. She stared at the piles before giving the boys a withering look. “Thanks.” She gathered a pile of clean bowls in her hands, ready to put away. “Go on. You need to get ready to help Halbi.” She didn’t say more and instead began moving about the kitchen again as if they weren’t even there.

- - -

“She still doesn’t like us,” Chan commented lightly.

“Ah, she likes ‘ya fine. Talks to ya’, doesn’t she? More’n she used to do. Used to be, we’d get strangers comin’ through and Gongjunim would ask us to pretend she didn’t even speak Korean so she wouldn’t have to talk to ‘em.”

Jeonghan laughed. “She went that far?”

“Oh, well. She’s got people anxiety, or something. I don’t rightly know the term, but that girl really does have a bad way with most people.”

“Anxiety?” Seungcheol asked in response. He shared a look with the members.

After they had turned in last night, some of them naturally chatted before falling asleep. Jeonghan hadn’t failed to mention how she had acted in the laundry room, mostly because he wanted to ask the leader if he’d done anything out of place.

“She does,” Halbi nodded. “Stresses herself half to death over the littlest things. Used to drive us all crazy ‘till we learned why.”

“Learned why?” Seungkwan parroted.

Halbi nodded. “She’s got ‘er reasons for being the way she is. Gongjunim had a rough life before,” he sighed. “But that’s not for me to say.” They finally arrived at a large building. The old man rapped his knuckles along the aluminum siding. “This here’s one of the equipment sheds. We keep ‘em full of anything we might need to keep up the farm. Wood for the fences, barbed wire, tools and screws and such.” He waved them inside.

“Couple of ya’ pull up some of them carts and start filling it with this wood here. We’ll get what we need and then I’ll show you how to build a proper fence that’ll keep out damn near anything.”

- - -

Ari loaded the dishwasher quickly, starting the machine before moving back toward the table, cloth and cleaner in hand.

Why was Halbi like that, always telling the boys all her business? “Nosy old man,” she pouted as she wiped the table.

She hummed mindlessly as she went about her chores, wiping down surfaces and straightening chairs. She reorganized the fridge, cleaned out the robot vacuum (which she still felt guilty about using but just couldn’t let go of, even in the apocalypse), wiped out the sink and eventually moved down the hallway to the room the boys were staying in.

Most of their blankets were haphazardly strewn over the mats, left unkempt as they drug themselves out of bed this morning. She knelt down, tidying the blankets and leaving them neatly folded at the bottom of each mat. Each member’s pack was in the vicinity of their own mat, some leaned against the walls, some thrown casually onto the floor. She hesitated before shaking her head. “Shouldn’t touch their stuff,” she muttered. So she moved on upstairs, straightening the beds in the two spare masters, as well.

Halbi slept in the mini master closest to her room, and she went in and tidied his things as well. There was never much to do. Halbi always made his bed in the morning, and he didn’t keep much else in the room.

She busied herself like that for a while, dusting surfaces and wiping counters. Nothing was particularly dirty, but the moment she went even one day without cleaning, she felt like she’d never catch up again. It had been easier before, when she used to have the housekeeper. When she had been building, the size of the place had caused her some concern, but she had quickly shrugged it off when she realized it was just as easy to pay someone to help her keep the place up. Having been doing it herself for the past two and some years now, she often felt like cleaning was all she did.  

By the time she re-entered the kitchen, she felt a little at a loss. She plopped down at the island, swinging her legs lazily. “Oh, wait!” She hopped off quickly, moving toward the fridge. The small calendar she’d drawn had yet to be marked off today, and she did it quickly, writing her name in the bottom of today’s box. She stared for a moment, considering something, before slowly drawing a star under yesterday’s date, as well. They had just moved into the first week of April.

She frowned. Wasn’t someone’s birthday in April?

“Wait, what am I thinking?” She said, throwing the pen into the drawer next to the fridge. “No birthdays!” No attachments.

She stared out the kitchen window but she didn’t see any sign of the boys or Halbi. She guessed if they were working on the fence, they’d be on the other side of the property by now. She narrowed her eyes, pain prickling the back of her eyelids as she felt for anything out of place. She sensed nothing and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Oh! The laundry!”

She had to rerun their clothes again since they were so dirty, and she had only switched them to the dryer once she was satisfied all the grime and muck was removed. She made her way into the laundry room, settling on her knees with a basket as she began to unload the machine. She hummed as she moved back to the living room, getting comfortable on the couch as she went about folding the clothes. She laughed as she folded one of their shirts; someone had been running around the countryside in Balenciaga of all things. As she fluffed the sleeves and straightened the seams on one of their oversizes jackets, she pushed out her bottom lip. “I should go see if I can find the demons, too. They didn’t come around at all last night because the boys were here.”

Sighing, she smacked the jacket onto the top of the pile, finishing up quickly. Having no idea which clothes belonged to whom, she left them sitting on the couch. The boys could pick them up later. She pulled up the sleeves of her sweatshirt, straightening the fabric on her thighs. She’d originally put on another dress this morning, but after her brain had woken up and remembered that there were twelve strange men in the house, she’d quickly changed into something much less cute. An oversized sweatshirt and tights wasn’t exactly fit for today’s weather, but she’d just have to deal with it for now.

Leaving out the front, she moved to the corner of the farm where the food dish sat, empty. “They must have come during the night…” She picked it up and jogged back into the house, refilling it and also grabbing a handful of snacks. She stuffed the snacks into the waistband of her pants. If those demons even thought she had anything other than kibble, they’d never eat their food first. As she stepped out of the house again, she shook the aluminum food dish loudly, walking about the front yard slowly.

The weather was getting nicer by the day. The warm sun hung overhead and a light breeze ruffled the trees. She was so excited to see the sun again. The winter months always made her moody, more lethargic and irritable. This past winter had been particularly hard with the loss of Ahjussi. For the past several months, it had just been her and Halbi, ghosting along in life in the echoes of mourning. In some regard, she could understand why he was so welcoming of the boys. She’d never been the greatest of company, even in the best of times.

Reowwww

“Finally showed up, did you?” She shook the food dish again as the ginger cat circled her legs. “Where’s your demon pack, huh, fluffy boy?”

As if on cue, several other cats began to appear slowly. A fluffy Calico, a stubby legged Munchkin, and a grizzly old Korat slunk into the yard. Ari set the food bowl down, and all four cats circled around it, munching away.

“You guys have been slacking off, haven’t you? You know, I found a mouse in my house the other week. You’re supposed to get rid of those things; that’s like, your whole job.” She squatted down and rested her cheek on her hand as she watched them eat. She reached forward quickly, plucking a stuck leaf out of the Korat’s fur. He stopped eating and offered her a short hiss. “Stow the attitude, geezer. You had a leaf on your butt.”  

She watched them eat quietly, until the entire dish was empty. The all hung around, circling and rubbing against her knees. “What? You think I have something else for you? Well, I do.” She shuffled and pulled the treats from the waistband of her pants. All four cats closed in quickly. “All right, all right. Hang on!” She quickly tore open all four packs of treats, squeezing them into each corner of the dish. “Hey, hey! Eat your own!” She shoved the ginger toward his own pile and away from the Munchkin’s. “Gluttons.”  

Once the treats had been devoured, she picked up the dish. “That’s all for right now. I’ll put some dinner out later so make sure to eat, okay?” She carried the dish back onto the porch, setting it down and throwing out the old water from the other dish. She refilled it quickly inside before returning it to its place. She stared at the water for a moment before looking off toward the other side of the farm. It’d been a few hours now.

“I wonder if,” she muttered to herself, kicking her toe against the porch, “they’re thirsty at all…”

☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ☆ taglist: @hyuckscult13​ | @woozarts​ | @imnotreadytolove

[dreadysficrecs]

Stucky Fic Rec List #22

Thursday, October 28

🌷What Was Once Mine (A New and Improved Guide to Project Rebirth by Steven G. Rogers) by @iamthe-wo-manwhocan, art by @kocuria - [Mature; 27k words]

[Canon Divergence; Amnesiac Steve Rogers; Memory Loss; Slow-Burn; Recovering Steve; Well-Adjusted Bucky; Exes to Friends to Lovers; Pining; Depressed Steve Rogers; Bodega Cat; Minor Steve/OMC; Fluff; Hurt/Comfort; Angst With a Happy Ending]

They tell him he was a soldier, a leader—a hero.

He doesn’t know if he believes them.

Fresh out of the ice with no recollection of his past, Steve Rogers strikes out on his own and tries to cobble together a life worthy of the clean slate he’s been given.

🍌 the noise making by steebadore - [Mature; 1,3k words]

[Canon Divergence; Established Relationship; Slice of Life; Domestic Stucky; Idiots in Love; Fluff and Humour]

“Mr. Alpiiiiiine,” Bucky sings in a silly falsetto. “Bring me a Steve. Make him the dumbest that I’ve ever seen. Give him a nose like a busted shovel, and my pastrami with extraaa pickle…”

🧄 Leader of the Pack by @plutosrose - [Explicit; 2,1k words]

[Modern AU; Vampires; Werewolves; Vampire!Steve x Human!Bucky; Kidnapping; Misunderstandings; Humour; Explicit Sexual Content; Enthusiastic Consent; Bottom!Bucky; Implied Daddy Kink]

Steve gave him a look of disapproval which did absolutely nothing to make Bucky less interested. “I’m a predator. Even if you aren’t a werewolf, that doesn’t change the fact that you’re prey here--and yeah okay, I feel your boner now. Jesus Christ.”

-

Bucky is kidnapped by a vampire. He's pretty into it.

🍨 relearning by savorvrymoment - [Explicit; 3,1k words]

[Canon Divergence; Established Relationship; Retired Stucky; Wakanda; Emotional Sex; Tenderness; Rimming; Implied Bottom!Steve]

“You still like this?” Bucky asks.

🌱 let me just stop fighting by @thedamageofherdays - [Teen; 681 words]

[Canon Divergence; Disability; Disabled Steve Rogers; Conversion Disorder; Steve Rogers Centric; Angst; PTSD; Suicidal Thoughts; Catholic Steve Rogers; Hopeful Ending]

Steve’s body betrays him and he doesn't know if he has the strength to deal with it.

[weirdmarioenemies]

TALKIN’ BOUT MORE BUGSNAX

It’s true! I kept my promise this time, and it is time for the sequel to our Bugsnax post on this Flavor Friday! I got all the background information and gushing out of the way in that post, so I’ll have lots of room here to talk about even MORE than last time!

RAZZBY

You may think this is starting too familiarly... but this is not Strabby! Razzby is a raspberry, of course! Which, if you ask me, are better than strawberries. It may behave just like Strabby, but it is its own distinct creature that even has its own voice. And even though it is so similar, is that a bad thing? I don’t think so! If “recolor” creatures were left out, that would just mean fewer creatures, and more creatures means more fun! Unless it’s like, something like Yo-Kai Watch with recolors that only exist to be rewards from horrendous RNG, but that is not the case here!

Like Strabby, Razzby is said to be based on a ladybug, but the raspberry style brings even more to mind! For example, the cochineal (photo here!), a scale insect that parasitizes cactuses. The wingless females are red and lumpy enough to quite resemble a raspberry! There is also the springtail Rambutanura hunanensis (photo here!) which really looks just like a raspberry with legs and antennae. This species was discovered in 2018... after Bugsnax was well into its development! Hmmmmm! 

Finally, I would like to add one more tidbit: it has recently been revealed that Strabby (and by extension, presumably Razzby) is also based on aphids! Isn’t it beautiful? Ladybugs and aphids putting aside their conflict for a greater good (a funny walking strawberry).

ROOTLE

After writing a surprisingly massive amount about Razzby, it is time to get back to my favorites! LOOK at Rootle! I was going to say “don’t you just love Rootle?” but I don’t need to. You just love Rootle! A carrot earthworm is simply splendid, especially when you actually see it moving. It stretches and contracts just like a worm! This carrot is soft, and I think it is great how strange that is. Also, Rootle is shy! If you get too close, it will burrow into the ground, with just its little rear sticking out! Please be nice around it.

SHISHKABUG

oh MAN! Shishkabug is so perfect! Cinnasnail and Rootle are perfect, but their “bug” bases are ultimately rather simple shapes. Shishkabug, however, uses only existing properties of its snak to create the comparatively complex shape of an ant! And as if that wasn’t enough? Its tomato leaves give it a polite little hairdo. And if THAT wasn’t enough either? It has perhaps the best name in the game. WOW! Shishkabug is so wonderful. 

PINKLE

Pinkle has some incredibly fascinating anatomy in a way you would perhaps not expect! Normally, the pickle jar serves as its main body, and is where the eyes are attached, as four floaty pickles serve as legs. However! In order to catch it, its shell must be removed...

...and Pinkle’s anatomy changes accordingly! One pickle now becomes the main body while the other three remain as legs, now positioned differently, and the eyes move to the main pickle body. That’s so neat! I love Pinkle! At first I was unsure how to feel because it doesn’t initially resemble its hermit crab basis, but seeing its behavior and hearing its voice makes me love it a lot.

Pinkle is also used by Filbo to make Snakwater. Would you try it? It’s bug-infused!

PEELBUG

All I’m doing in this post is saying how perfect these Bugsnax are and I’m not stopping now! Peelbugs are a group of citrus fruits that behave like pillbugs! Another Snak that is perfect not only in name, but in function! Oranges are already weirdly “pre-sliced”, and Peelbugs can crawl around in this form, but they prefer to roll up into a full fruit and hide in tunnels!

FLUTTERJAM

This will be the last Bugsnak for today’s post, but I wanted to end with a REALLY wacky one! Flutterjam is one of the relatively few fully unique Bugsnax not revealed before release, and WOW! I was really amazed when I saw it. I thought I had seen it all, and then I see THIS! Not in game, mind you. I couldn’t resist. I just had to look through the iMessage sticker pack to see them all early.

Flutterjam is butterfly-based, but in a weird, uncommon way, as you can see! This sliced slice of bread is really nothing but a pair of wings, with its eyes positioned pretty far apart on those wings, not making any effort to imply a “main body!” Perhaps they even represent fake eyespots as well! 

Flutterjam’s method of capture is as wacky as it deserves! You may be thinking a piece of bread with nothing but jelly on it is a strange Bugsnak basis, but the truth is, Flutterjam longs for peanut butter! It flies high above, but if you sling peanut butter at it, it will close right up and fall, happy to have realized its destiny.

That is all for now! Join us next time for even MORE!

[sunmoon-starfactory]

Preservation Practices

The most intertwined Sun&Moon set to date, this set lets sims process a variety of raw food resources into preserved items for later use, to sell, or to stock the fridge with. These preserves pack the most bang for their buck as food point items worth 75 points a piece and never spoil.

See below the cut/view at the Keep for details and use instructions. REQUIRED SETS Prep Board: ● To Boldly Grow ● An Apple A Day ● Grapes of Rad ● Wild Berry Bushes ● Corn Fed Canning Pot: ● Fetch Water ● Get Salty ● Vinegar Ventures or An Apple A Day ● Bee's Knees Meat Air Drying Rack: ● Choice Cuts Meat Smoking Rack: ● Choice Cuts ● All Fired Up Firewood Station Fish Air Drying Rack: ● Gon Fishin' Fish Smoking Rack: ● Gone Fishin' ● All Fired Up Firewood Station Salt Packing Barrel: ● Get Salty ● Choice Cuts ● Gone Fishin' Skin Air Drying Rack: ● Choice Cuts 

Download Direct - SFS Download/View At The Keep

Extra Thanks and Credit: Fire_flower, Hodgekiss, TaraTrue, DavinaOjeda Shasta, Cassandre, Beos, Sunni, Murfeelee, Dicreasy, WoodForSims, Maxis/EA, Skyrim, Dawn of Man, DAZ3D, ZT2, Fallout 4 Far Harbor

Preserving Fruits/Vegetables/Berries All stations in this category first turn any fruit/vegetable/berry harvest into Prepared Fruit, Prepared Vegetables, or Prepared Mash. From there, all three are ultimately turned into one item; Jar of Preserves. Prepared Items are worth 12 food points each, matching for the most part their original intact form. Each Jar of Preserves is worth 75 food points and does not spoil. Note: This board looks for ANY of the fruits/vegetables/harvest baskets in a sim’s inventory and the first one it finds that meets requirements is the first one it takes and uses. If you don’t want to prepare particular things on the board, store them elsewhere than the acting sim’s inventory. Prep Board This simple board allows sims to prepare any fruit/vegetable/berry for cooking purposes. Be it peeling, cutting, slicing, or mashing. From source materials, it produces only three items: Prepared Vegetables, Prepared Fruit, and Prepared Mash. Breaking all versions of things down to these three basics eliminates complications of player restrictions; I.E. Cucumbers don’t grow in my hood setting/climate, therefore I can’t make pickles. The station processes in a 1:1 ratio. No skill is required to use the board, but cooking skill is gained with each use. Looks/used best placed on counter slots. Can be found in Appliances > Small.

Canning Pot To make water boiled or pressure boiled preserves of any type, sims must have prepared vegetables, fruit, mash, or another specific ingredient in their inventory. They must also have an additive that aids in preserving or pickling. These can include water, salt, lemon, vinegar, sugar, and honey.Each production cycles requires 4 Prepared Vegetables/Fruit/Mash, and one of the other needed additives.  The pot produces only one item: Jar of Preserves. A cooking skill of 3 is needed to use the pot, as it is implied there is some knowledge needed about how to properly put everything together and it's not just boiling a jar. ● Vegetables will ask for the addition of water, small salt sack OR salt cellar, and a vinegar bottle OR lemon basket. ● Fruits and Mash will ask for the addition of water, and a small sugar sack OR clover honey, Stove OMSP Made specifically to be used with the canning pot so that it can appear to actually be on the burners of various stoves. It has 6 slots to cover all 6 burners on a typical stove, but mileage may vary on how good it all sits based on what stove is being used. Slots can be rotated with M, and an invisible recolor is built into the main package. Find it in Surfaces > Misc, and place it on the lot, fill the slots as desired, and then use moveobjects cheat to plop it over a stove.

Sugar Provided for canning of fruit/mash is refined sugar that will be available for production in a later set. For now, the large bulk sack can be found in Appliances > Cooking, and it can be divided up into smaller sacks.

Preserving Meats All stations in this category produce only two types of items: Preserved Fish, or Preserved Meat. Each is worth 75 food points and as an additional feature they can be portioned out into edible jerky for a sim to keep in their pockets and eat on the go.

Air Drying Racks Air drying racks work on the simple concept of letting nature do the work for you. It will take 4 hours as no extra heat or drying agents have been provided or applied. Just meet the required number of raw ingredients and sims will always get back 4 Preserved Meat/Fish portions. Meat, Fish, and Poultry that has been properly butchered can be hung to dry and turn into Preserved Meat or Preserved Fish. Using these racks comes with a risk; weather. If the racks are being rained/snowed/hailed on, they will stop working and their drying timers will not restart until the weather is cleared OR unless kept under what Maxis defines as 'sheltered from weather' building structure. Note: These racks look for ANY of the required number of butchered meat/fish in a sim’s inventory and the first one it finds that meets requirements is the first one it takes and uses. If you don’t want to dry particular things on the racks, store them elsewhere than the acting sim’s inventory For drying of Meat/Poultry, the following numbers of any item are required to be in a sim's inventory. ● Roast x 1 ● All Whole Poultry of the Same Type, Brisket, Ham x 2 ● Chops, Squab x3 ● Ribs, Sausages x4 ● Pork Belly, Pork Chops, Small Loin, Steak, Veal x6.

For drying Fish, four portions of any time of fish are required to be in a sim's inventory. Note that this rack DOES NOT use Maxis Fish, it only uses Sun&Moon Food Point Fish.

Smoking Racks The smoking racks share the same characteristics of their drying rack counterparts, save they require a Bundle of Firewood to imply a heat source is being used. This way, a player can build their own smokehouse design without worry about pre-fabricated heat sources ruining a look. Use all the deco fire or fireplaces you’d like or even just terrain paints and nooks/niches to build a fire pit.

Salt Packing Barrel With a sack of bulk salt, and enough raw fish and meat, sims can pack them with salt to aid in preservation. The barrel makes two products only: Preserved Meat or Preserved Fish. Numbers wise, it asks for the same meat/fish numbers from drying racks, plus one bulk sack of salt for each use. Four portions of preserved meat/fish are granted back. There are separate states for Fish and Meat respectively.

Bonus: Skin Air Drying Rack Considered a bonus because it does not produce an item that is counted as food points, just a refined product that will be asked for by future stations looking to make leather or needing such things as furs/pelts/hides into other items. They work just like the fish and meat air drying racks, save what they ask for. This rack will ask for any 1 hide/pelt for a butchered animal, be that livestock or wild.

Details ● Hood View on most items. ● Compressorized ● Most catalog enabled items can be found in Hobbies > Misc, Appliances > Cooking, and Appliances > Small. ● Collection File included - ALL ITEMS AVAILABLE IN CATALOG THROUGH COLLECTION VIEW. (I.E. - Prepared Fruit does not appear in normal catalog, but does appear in collection view catalog.)